


A Better Future

by TheMulletWhisperer



Series: Looking Glass [1]
Category: Fallout (Video Games), Fallout 4
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Gen, Introspection, Pre-War, War
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-07-26
Updated: 2017-07-26
Packaged: 2018-12-07 04:48:11
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 786
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11616198
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheMulletWhisperer/pseuds/TheMulletWhisperer
Summary: The morning began like any other for Nicky, a normal day, preparing for a normal event. And then the world flipped itself upside-down, and she found herself footing the bill.





	A Better Future

**Author's Note:**

> Yes, 'tis I! The person you've never heard of before and probably already dislike!
> 
> This story is going to be a part of a series, God willing, that will be updated as I feel I can write it. There is a slight canon divergence, but nothing too terribly disruptive to the story. Mostly, I've changed the pre-war character landscape to better fit the character.
> 
> Have fun, and if you have any feedback, be it praise or criticism, I'd love to hear it!

Nicky’s eyes shot open as the alarm clock next to her bed began screaming. As with every morning, she woke up disoriented and entirely blind. Wildly, she flailed for her glasses that sat on the nightstand, managing to knock over the clock, a glass of water, and a picture frame before she finally found her wayward spectacles and slid them over her ears. Everything around her focused rapidly, the rays of sun streaming through the bedroom windows hitting her like a ton of bricks. Had she overslept? Nate wasn’t next to her, he’d left in his wake a very neatly-made set of blankets as he always did. She, on the other hand, jumped out of bed and left behind her mess. Usually, she didn’t worry about waking up at any specific time, but today she had an event to prepare for. 

From somewhere down the hall (likely the kitchen, but she couldn’t always tell), Nate and Codsworth chatted amicably about the newspaper and the weather--the usual droll conversation that went on in the plastic neighborhood of Sanctuary Hills. Across the hall, she could hear Shaun stirring from his sleep, but she didn’t pay much attention, her attention honed solely on making herself presentable for her errands. As she listened to Shaun begin to fuss, she wondered what she always did during times like these. Maybe if Shaun were actually hers, if she were  _ actually _ his mother… she was snapped out of her wondering as Nate chuckled at the title of the Grognak comic on the counter in the kitchen. “Hey, shush, that’s a good one, okay!?” She called back to him in response, huffing and continuing her search for a proper pair of clothes.

Each and every drawer in the dresser was open before she found something to pull on--a button-down shirt, golden-brown sweater vest, and a pair of slacks. Unlike most of the women in the cul-de-sac, she didn’t concern herself with dresses or gowns unless the circumstances called for it. While she rather enjoyed them, they didn’t fit her usual lazy days or rushed panics. Not to mention, she usually had to be tailored to fit her height.

A swift belt-check and collar-tuck later, Nicky jogged out into the hallway only to hang a sharp right into the bathroom, where Nate was shaving. Standing over his shoulder, she bent down slightly to fix her hair, which was messy enough to warrant her simply pulling it back into a ponytail and letting several stray clumps roam free. 

As soon as she’d finished, she turned to leave before she felt a hand on her arm, prompting her to turn around and face the person attached to the hand. “Hey, you know you don’t  **have** to rush, right? The Veteran’s Hall is a lot later, we can relax until then, right?” He raised a concerned brow to her as he always did when she rushed like this. And just like then, she gave him the same answer.

“I know, Nate, but you know I like to be ready.” She looked to the ground sheepishly, her eyes tracking over his face on their way down. As he looked up at her to say something, a cry came from the living room.

“Sir, mum, you should come and see this!”

 

===========================

 

Everything from that seemingly-normal morning ran on playback through Nicky’s head as the elevator into Vault 111 scraped its way down into the bedrock of the mountain. Everyone said this would come some day, but she never actually believed anyone would be stupid enough to launch those missiles at each-other. They knew the risks, they knew it was mutually-assured destruction. But they didn’t care. Anything to kill those Reds, anything to kill those Capitalists. She thanked every god she knew that Nate hadn’t successfully turned away that Vault-Tec salesman. That was the only reason any of them were still alive, and yet the sounds of those people, their neighbors, screaming and crying at the gates rang in her mind, and yet none of it registered properly.

Her glasses still perched on her nose, her sweater vest still hanging off her shoulders, her shoes still putting her taller than most of the people on the lift, everything was still as it was that morning, and yet, those chirping birds and that green grass seemed years away from this underground bunker they were headed towards, a tacit admission by everyone involved that the world was, undeniably, over. 

Eventually, the elevator ground to a halt, putting an end to her thoughts. As the gate raised to allow the occupants of the elevator to step out, a friendly voice rang through the entryway, 

“Welcome to Vault 111! A better future, underground!”

**Author's Note:**

> For a point of reference, as I'm not the best at working character description into stories and I'm a horrible person (totally unrelated), here's a pair of references that will help you get a better feel for the character:
> 
> http://imgur.com/a/zuWoZ


End file.
